Harsh Memories
by Yaegashi Yoshiki
Summary: After an accident leaves Takeru hospitalized, he is forced to try to piece together exactly what happened. (Complete) Miene got in himmel its finally done!
1. Rude Awakening

A/N: In this fic, the denote a character's thoughts/feelings. The timeline falls about 6 months after the ending of season 2, making it around July (the second season ends on New Years Day). I will be using the Japanese names for the characters.  
  
Second A/N added 11:07p.m. 23rd of August 23, 2002 I accidentally forgot to mention the Japanese family nouns that would appear in this fic. I am doing this for anyone who doesn't know these yet.  
  
O-Niichan = Older brother  
  
O-Touto-Chan = Younger brother  
  
O-Jiichan = Grandfather  
  
O-Tochan = Father (may not be used)  
  
O-Kachan = Mother  
  
O-Neechan = Older sister (may not be used, depends on if Miyako visits Iori after he awakes {Note: in the original Japanese version, Iori thinks of Miyako as his older sister, and I am unsure if he uses this noun for her. I am basing the usage on my viewings of Digimon Frontier, in which Tonoko calls the main character O-Niichan CONSTANTLY.}  
  
Pata-chan = I truly doubt that in the Japanese version they constantly call their Digimon by their full names ... it seems ridiculous to me.  
  
I've never been in this much pain before. Nothing we have ever been through in the group felt like this. Even watching niichan and the others being changed by piemon didn't hurt like this. I always meant to ask Yama what that felt like... I wonder whether I will ever get to now?   
  
His thoughts seemed to reverberate around the empty room. It was really the only thing he could do, since he had to be restrained so he wouldn't accidentally pull out any of the IV's in his sleep. It had been around three days since he found himself here. He still couldn't talk, since the oxygen mask made that impossible. This made it hard for those who came to see him to stay for too long. It isn't easy for a person to sit and attempt to carry on a conversation by yourself, especially if they had other things to do. At least, that was how he was thinking about the whole incident.  
  
How did it start again? I can remember I was walking home late after staying at the Yagami's a little too long, and I wasn't paying too much attention as I crossed the road. I do remember that the light was green however, and I did have the right of way. Next, I think I heard a load screeching noise, that I guess must have been whatever hit me.   
  
He moved his head slowly, painfully, as he tried to take in his surroundings. I guess I got hit in the back. I wonder if there will be any permanent damage. He couldn't quite crane his neck entirely to either side at the moment, since whenever he moved his neck more then a few inches, pain began to well up. I guess I'll have to try to entertain myself with the ceiling then. For the next few hours he tried to pass the time by counting how many times the plaster in the hospital rooms ceiling had begun to crack over the years of use it had seen. This became surprisingly entertaining, and preoccupying, and so he didn't notice as his older brother had came in and moved to his left side.  
  
" Hey, TK, you doing alright? " Yamato asked softly, trying to break Takeru's concentration. TK turned his head slowly, trying to avoid as much of the pain as possible before he smiled in response. Even if the others do have other things to do, at least Niichan still manages to stop by. Slowly Mate reached out and brushed a few stray strands of blond hair that had fallen into Takeru's vision.  
  
" I'm surprised, you're not usually awake when I come by to check on you. Why are we up so early this mourning, hm?"  
  
Does he know how annoying it is when people ask you questions, and you cant speak well enough to answer back? In the best way he could, TK shot an exasperated look at his Niichan in an attempt to make him see how much this seemed to annoy him.  
  
" I guess you don't feel like talking, ne? " he asked with a small laugh. " Anyways, I stopped by today since Kachan couldn't get off her current assignment again. I swear, sometimes that paper seems to want to run her into an early grave. Imagine forcing her to work when one of her own flesh and blood is strapped into a hospital bed with about a thousand different tubes in him."  
  
All through Yamato's banter, he was constantly smiling down, trying as hard as he could to be the assuring Niichan he had always reverted to when Takeru had become either sick or injured.  
  
" Patachan wanted to come and see you too, but I thought it wouldn't be good if the doctors came in and found the little guy cuddled up next to you. They probably wouldn't understand that he wasn't trying to hurt you ... and well I just thought this was best." Takeru watched silently as his brother continued to chat with himself about his day, school, and whatever else he could have thought of. All the while Takeru was still trying to remember if anything had happened after he had been hit or not.  
  
Yamato's voice brought him back to earth suddenly as Takeru realized he had begun talking about the accident itself. " I still cant believe someone actually ran a red light and hit you!" So that's what happened "I also can't believe he didn't try to call an ambulance or anything. I still think the guy must have been insane for trying what he did but ... " As Yamato rambled on, TK suddenly found it exceedingly hard to remain conscious any longer.  
  
2nd A/N  
  
I am currently looking for a new beta reader (preferably someone who can read the pre-versions within 1 week.)  
  
I would like to thank the following.  
  
Grey http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=137144 Thanks for Beta reading chapters 1-4. She also writes great Trigun fics.  
  
2. BmilesWrites http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=68638 For writing such a great Cody/Iori fic (Little Mister Odiaba)  
  
Time Lady http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=26851 For writing the wonderful TPOV series.  
  
Cynthia, Piedmon's Lady http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=238978  
  
For writing several good series and singular fics. 


	2. The Mask Comes Off

Takeru never realized just how good it felt to be able to move his jaw. It had only been about three hours since the nurse had removed the oxygen mask, and TK was still experimenting with which exact movements seemed to cause pain. So far he had reasoned that he could at least talk legibly for a small amount of time before the pain became too great to continue. He couldn't help wondering when he would finally be able to eat something that didn't come in either a tube, or some other liquid form. I can't actually believe I'm fantasizing about hospital food! Something is seriously wrong.   
  
He was still restrained, and he still couldn't really look around too much, but slowly he was able to take in his immediate surroundings. I wonder who left the flowers? Probably either Yama-chan, or Kachan. Those are the only two that still seem to come around these days. It had now been over five days since he had been run down. So far the only information he could glean about the accident was that it should have been a hit and run case , but that something had gone wrong as the person tried to get away . Takeru sighed softly as he slowly began to drift back into sleep .  
  
" 'Keru-chan , you're not going to go to sleep on me already are you? " An obviously feminine voice questioned, just as Takeru's eyes managed to shut themselves. is eyes snapped open as he thought quickly. It's too young of a voice to be either Sora-san or Mimi , so that leaves either Hikari-chan, or Miyako. " Hello Hikari-chan , how are you doing? " He managed to say before wincing at the pain in his jaw .  
  
" I'm surprised , I didn't think you could talk yet , and as for my health, I'm more interested in what the doctors said about your condition, " Hikari spoke , as she moved closer to his bed so that he could finally see her fully. " They said as long as I took it easy ... and didn't talk, " he spoke, trying to hid the pain in his voice " I should be just fine in a few weeks. " " I'm sorry then , I probably caused you some pain just by asking, and making you respond. " In response , Takeru attempted to shrug his shoulders while being restrained at the wrists. " You look so funny writhing like that! " Hikari laughed as she shook her head from side to side." Sorry , I didn't really mean to laugh at you, but you should see how comical the whole situation looks from someone else's point of view. By the way , how long until they said you could take off these restraints? " she asked as she massaged the white wrist straps holding him down. " They said I would be off IV's in about three days, but that's just an estimate. " He smiled up at her as she gently brushed his tussled hair back. " You have to know that me and niichan feel pretty responsible for all this. I mean if we hadn't asked you to stay for so long, you wouldn't be here like this. " " Its not your fault Hika-chan, " Takeru began before coughing roughly. " Hika-chan do you mind if I stopped talking now? Both my throat and jaw are a little sore, " TK managed to finish sourly. " Yeah , sure Take-chan. You wouldn't believe how though Yama is taking this though... " Hikari began to ramble off on a tangent as Takeru managed to tune most of the banter out.  
  
He was currently entertaining himself by watching the fluid from a saline IV flow into his body when something Hikari said caught his ear. " I still can't believe what happened to you two. it seems so unreal that someone would do that. I guess because of the warrant he wasn't thinking straight, but still, now he'll have at least two more charges against him. "  
  
So , I guess the guy who ran me down was wanted then. No wonder he ran afterwards... Wait , didn't she say the two of us? Who else was there? Takeru tried to ask this very question , but as he opened his mouth a blast of pain quickly informed him that he wouldn't be asking any questions very soon. Damn , looks like it will be awhile before I can even figure out what happened. He began to retune his ear towards Kari as she plowed through, never registering either the look of pain that had crossed his face, or the look of confusion he now held.  
  
" Unfortunately he's still in critical condition , but at least they were able to stabilize him. If all goes well for the next few days, maybe he'll be moved in here, ne? You'd like that, right, Take-chan? I mean he did kind of save your life and all. " Hikari was still smiling down as she said this, causing Takeru to wonder about the girl's sanity, until a nurse came in and requested that Hikari leave while she checked over Takeru's status.  
  
Unfortunately for Takeru's curiosity, the nurse gave him a sleeping pill, and he didn't wake up until long after Hikari had left. Hope she made it home okay. He thought as he began to move his head in a circular motion, attempting to feel out his new range of vision. Yeah ! I got a whole inch more of vision! I... am... completely pathetic. Takeru sighed in exasperation. At least I can see the far wall now. That would be helpful if this wasn't a hospital, or conversely, if there was anything but white paint on the wall. Takeru sighed as he looked over to the end table, where he had previously seen his digivice and d-terminal laying the night before. Unsurprisingly, it was now missing from said spot. I sure hope it was Hikari that took it , and not just some passer by who thought it would make a good present for their kids, He thought bitterly as he looked at the spot where it had laid. God , I wish Pata-chan were here, I could sure use his cheery voice right about now. Just as Takeru thought this , he could have sworn that he heard the soft flutter of wings from somewhere to the left of his body . He couldn't have gotten here! Not on his own at least, there are no open windows around, he mused as he craned his neck to the left, trying to see what it was that had drawn his attention.  
  
" Hey Otouto-chan , look who I brought with me! " came the familiar voice of Yamato Ishida as he not so gently dumped a pot roast sized yellow lump onto Takeru's chest. " 'Keru-chan! " The small angel type digimon screamed as he hugged his partners neck lovingly." He promised me that if anyone who wasn't one of us came into the room, he would act just like a doll. " Yamato informed as he pulled a chair over to his little brother's bed. Takeru, however, was too busy trying to reassure his small partner that he was in fact fine , and soon would be back up and about. " Pata-chan, I already told you that I should be out of here by next week, at the most two weeks. Okay? " " You can't blame him for being worried, since no one has really been by to tell him just what happened to you two. All he knew was that everyone kept running around buying flowers, and talking about how bad off you were. " Yamato said quietly as he began to stroke Takeru's hair. There they go again, saying "two". Who else could have been there? I have already seen Hikari and Yama, and I have heard Tai mentioned as being home and worried. Unfortunately, that leaves a lot of possibilities, and I have no idea where to start. " Yama-chan, you said two, who else was there during the accident? " Takeru spoke softly, trying to not strain either his sore throat or jaw. 


	3. Remembering Pain

Yamato frowned, as he looked at his little brother. " You mean you don't remember anything from the accident? " he asked incredulously as Takeru shock his head. Yamato sighed, as he readied himself for the long tale of how T.K. had ended up in the hospital in the first place.  
  
---------Flashback scene---------  
  
Takeru Takaishi had just finished his "study" session with Hikari and Tai. Takeru was still angry over the fact that the only real reason Taichi had asked him to come over and "study", was because he had rented some English films. Since Takeru and Koushiro were the only ones who understood any English at all, and since Koushiro was currently working in the high school's computer lab, trying out some theories about the digi-port, it had fallen on Takeru to translate the films for Taichi. Takeru kicked a can slowly down the sidewalk as he started his trek back towards his apartment complex.  
  
As T.K. walked, he began to think over everything that had happened over the past few months. He was thus absorbed, as he wandered down the path that would lead him back to his apartment. He was thinking about how weird it had been when he had first used the DNA-digivolving technique, as he began to cross the road. He reached the other side, and continued on, still absorbed in his own thoughts. He began to wonder exactly how the others felt about their respected digivolving partners. Takeru thought back to the first time he had ever met Iori. It had been the first day he had gone to his new school after moving into the Odaiba area. He remembered how serious Iori had seemed at first glance, and how formal Iori had been during their first meeting. It had taken a long time, but eventually, Iori began to open up to the digi-destined, and had began to share his opinions, and to a degree, the reasons behind his formality. T.K. would never forget the effect of Iori's father dying, and Iori seeing the death of his fathers best friend Owikawa. He remembered how Iori had actually cried at Owikawa's death, and at his sacrifice. Then, Takeru began to recall the time when Iori's O-Jiichan had confronted Owikawa, and had attempted to bring him out of his depression. He remembered that Iori's eyes had begun to water, as his Grandfather had begun to tell the tales of both his father's and Owikawa's past. He remembered that even though he had only DNA-digivolved with Iori once, his connection to the younger boy had caused his eyes to water as well, as he could almost feel the others pain. It was palpable, almost as if I could taste his pain as I watched him, he thought.  
  
As Takeru was absorbed with his thoughts, he began to cross the crosswalk, first glancing upwards to check that the light was with him, and that no one was attempting to make a turn into the lane he entered. He began to whistle to himself quietly as he jogged across. He reached the midway point of the crosswalk when he began to hear the screeching. He glanced up briefly quickly enough to see the oncoming vehicle. He was coherent enough to begin reading the license plate, before the car rammed into him while still going at around 25 kilometers. T.K. was thrown a few feet, before landing hard onto the pavement. He heard the car come screeching to a stop. At this point, Takeru's vision began to dim. Before he blanked out completely, he saw a blur of brown jump in front of a rather gruff looking man that had leapt from the vehicle.  
  
---------End flashback---------  
  
Yamato continued on with the story from where Takeru's memory had begun to fade away. " That's when he dived in front of you Take-chan. He managed to shield your body from whoever had been driving the car. You see, the driver had some kind of warrant against him. He noticed that you had been reading his license plate while he had driven towards you, and had apparently decided you shouldn't be able to implicate him in another crime. I still don't know why he thought killing you wouldn't make things worse, but I guess he figured he had had nothing to lose. Thankfully he had been there, or else you would probably not survived the attack, " Yamato finished, as he grinned down at his incapacitated O-touto-chan. "Yamato, " Takeru sighed out, "You still haven't told me who saved me! " Yamato sighed as he prepared to tell Takeru the rest of the story. 


	4. Iori's Pain

Iori had been thinking. Actually, a more accurate term would be remembering. The day of the accident kept replaying in his mind, while mixed with thoughts of both his father and Owikawa-san's death. He was lucky in a way, he thought suddenly, as he had not been present when his father had died protecting the foreign dignitary he had been assigned to.  
  
I don't think I would have been able to take seeing that, based on how hard seeing Owikawa-san die was. As his mind began to wander, he thought about how differently the two dimensions he now could call "home" were. Sometimes I think it would be better if our own world reacted to death like the digi-world did. Then instead of death and destruction we would only have reformation and deletion. From all of our experiences, I think only the digimon who had acted in a manner that endangered the digi-world have been truly deleted, and even then, those digimon that seemed to repent, like the older generation said Ogremon did, did not fade away or become deleted like their more vicious counterparts. This would mean that both my O-Touchan, and Owikawa-sama would have been reformatted, since he only desired to see the digiworld, and not actually wanted to see it destroyed. while consumed with these thoughts, Iori's mind began to blank out again, as the medications being pumped into him overcame his concise effort to stay awake.  
  
Iori's body was lying in a small room, where the doctors could keep an hourly watch on his status. The only real indication of when Iori was conscious was the movement of his eyes under their lids. The doctors who were working on him were still reluctant to call what he was going through a "coma", since he displayed knowledge of his surroundings, and of outside stimuli. It was more like Iori refused to awaken, rather then couldn't awaken. His mind was still retelling the night of the incident, along with the memories of both his father and Owikawa's deaths.  
  
---------Iori's POV (night of the accident)---------  
  
Iori had just come from a dojo not far from both Hikari's and Daisuke's homes. He enjoyed training with his O-Jiichan, but after Owikawa-sama's death, his grandfather had taken a turn for the worse. He still would spar with Iori, but their matches became shorter, and eventually less and less frequent. It had gotten to the point when both student and Sensei began to realize that Iori would not be able to improve at the pace they were setting. Iori had volunteered to begin training at the new dojo, so as to spare his Grandfather any more undo wear and tear.  
  
As he walked, Iori began to think about the various events of the last few weeks. As usual, he began to focus on the way in which Owikawa had selflessly given up his life so that the digiworld could be reformed. Over the past few weeks, Iori had begun to equate Owikawa-san's death to his own father's. He thought about how both men had sacrificed themselves for something they had believed in, and had cherished most of their lives. For Owikawa, it had been the digiworld itself, and the idea that he had lead to its corruption, and near destruction. Owikawa-san felt that he had been responsible for the destruction caused by Malo-Myotismon, even though in reality, he had been tricked while grieving over the loss of his friend Hiroki, Iori realized. While Owikawa-san died because of his feelings of both grief, and because of his desire to see a restored digital world, O- tousan died because of his sense of duty and ethics. He felt his duty was to protect the dignitary, even if it cost him his own life. A small tear fell unheeded down Iori's cheek as he thought of how his father had died.  
  
Iori continued to walk down the block, watching the various people on the street moving quickly, trying to return to their homes before nightfall. Iori shivered and hugged himself in an attempt to stay warm. "Why didn't I bring a sweater instead of just wearing a t-shirt? " Iori asked aloud, as he tugged at the brown t-shirt he was wearing. Iori continued to walk faster, as he attempted to keep his circulation up, and tried to warm himself through physical activity. At least I'm close to home; it should only be another 5 minutes till I'm there. As Iori rounded a corner, and began to walk towards the crosswalk, he noticed a familiar shape walking across the empty road. I could swear that was T.K.'s hat. He thought as he began to jog forward towards the retreating white lump. That was when Iori heard the screeching tires, and saw the small black car heading towards Takeru. " T.K.! " Iori managed to scream out, before his body froze as he watched the car impact with his friend and DNA-digivolving partner.  
  
There were tears in Iori's eyes as he ran over. He watched as Takeru landed hard on the road a few feet from where he had previously stood. Iori stared in horror, as he saw that Takeru was losing blood fast. A deep pool of crimson had already formed around the 11 year old, as he lay struggling to breathe. As Iori ran towards his friend, he noticed that the car had suddenly stopped. For a brief moment, Iori thought that the man in the car was trying to find a cell phone to call an ambulance. Quickly, however, his hope was turned to shock, as the man pulled a long knife from under the passenger seat of the vehicle. What in Kami's name is he thinking? Iori thought as the man exited his car, smiling.  
  
The man stalked forward, still with the same smirk on his face. "Since I can't allow the police to trace me, and since I saw you looking at my plates, I had better take care of you." Iori overheard the man mutter as he walked calmly forward. As Iori ran, something seemed to click inside of him. He watched as the man raised the knife upwards, rotating it 180`, until the blade was pointed downwards. Iori briefly glanced at the blade, noticing that it had been stained long ago, and had been permanently darkened to a rich crimson color. As the man began to plunge the knife downwards, Iori leapt forward. The last thing he had remembered was a sharp pain flowing throughout his body, slowly followed by several similar pains.  
  
---------End flashback---------  
  
Iori slowly turned his body, flinching softly as pain went through his body. His mind slowly faded away as he went back into a sound slumber.  
  
A/N Unfortunately that's all for now, since the University starts up this Monday. I will be writing more however ( I have already written chapter five. ) Until I can get a new Beta-reader ( Grey is a bit slow since she has her own fics that she's doing and also her work/study's ). Anyone who's interested please email me at murakumo@mail.com.  
  
Mura.  
  
New A/N. added 8/24  
  
Augh! I am in desperate need of a beta-reader. If anyone who is reading this is even marginally good at spelling/grammar { I do hope that there are people reading this } I implore you to email me. I have already gotten two more chapters done but I am horrible at grammar and spelling ( plus my spell checker messes up quite often. ) 


	5. Thoughts of Regret

A/N: Sorry about the small update this time. I will have another chapter up in about a week. Once again, I have to beseech those people reading this (and all one of you who reviewed {I am not counting my Beta reader.}) to please help me by becoming a beta reader for me. While Grey is a great help, the only problem is that she is a little slow to get these out (not her fault, she has her own stuff to do. ) Also, I would like to get a beta reader who has actually watched an episode of Digimon ^_^. Mura  
  
Takeru lay in stunned silence. Yamato had left only a few minutes ago, after retelling the story to T.K., revealing the fact that Iori had shielded him from near death during the accident. I can't believe Iori-chan would do something like that. Then there's the fact that if it hadn't been for me, Iori-chan wouldn't be here now. If only I had been paying more attention to the road, and not been so preoccupied, maybe I could have dodged in time. Then neither of us would have to be in this mess, Takeru thought sullenly as he attempted to shift his body for the third time in as many minutes. T.K. began to focus on the sounds of the drip I.V. that still supplied his body with nutrients, as he attempted to fall asleep.  
  
After another twenty minutes struggling, Takeru realized it was futile. He began to stare blankly at the ceiling, trying to relax his body enough to simulate rest. Unfortunately, his mind wouldn't allow him to rest. He once again began running through the accident, trying to remember anything important that would either help the police catch the man responsible, or would help alleviate his feelings of guilt over Iori's injuries. If only I could remember the license plate of the car, I would at least be able to tell the police what they were looking for.   
  
Takeru began racking his brain, trying to figure out the plate's number series. The sound of a door opening caught his attention, as the once dark room was filled with a soft light. " Hey Keru-chan," a raspy voice tried to say, before seeming to catch on a sob. Takeru watched as the figure moved inwards, till she was only about two feet from his side.  
  
Miyako Inoue looked horrible. It had to be obvious that she had been crying, even if you hadn't looked at her bloodshot eyes. Miyako's hair was also unkempt, and her body began shaking slightly.  
  
Takeru was unsure whether the last part was from sobs, or from exhaustion as he took in her appearance. It only took Takeru a few minutes to guess why she looked so horrible. I guess this means Iori isn't very well off. He sighed mentally.  
  
"Sorry I haven't been in to see you yet Keru-chan, but as you can probably tell, I've been preoccupied. " Miyako spoke softly, trying to hide the sadness in her voice.  
  
" How has he been doing? " Takeru ventured softly, hoping to drag some information out of Miyako.  
  
" The doctors said that he'll live through this, but Iori still hasn't woken up yet. His physician said that it's more like he doesn't want to wake up yet. They think he's probably trying to deal with everything that happened during the last few days. I've tried to tell him that you're all right, but that still doesn't seem to be enough. " Miyako finished softly as she began to tear up once again.  
  
" Iori's strong Miya-chan, He'll be able to wake up soon. He's probably just enjoying some well-deserved R&R. By the way, have they said anything about his physical condition? From what Niichan said, I wasn't sure whether or not there would be any permanent damage. "  
  
" His doctor said that he'll be pretty weak for the next month or so, but beyond that, Iori should heal naturally, and be just about as good as new. Everyone was more worried about you actually, since from the way you hit the pavement like that we were pretty sure you would end up with a concussion. " As Miyako finished filling Takeru in on the details, she pulled a chair close to the bed and sat herself down. She began to busy herself with removing the hair from Takeru's vision as she continued, " Everyone thought that if nothing else, we would end up losing one of you. Come to think of it, we ended up being pretty lucky that you guys weren't hurt too bad. "  
  
Takeru turned his head away from Miyako as he began to talk suddenly. " I still feel pretty responsible for everything. If I hadn't been so preoccupied, maybe I could have made it out of the way in time and Iori wouldn't have gotten hurt at all. " "Takeru, you can't think like that! " Miyako began raising her voice sharply. " You know Iori would never blame you for the accident! You didn't do anything wrong, the only person who's at fault for this is the psychotic bastard that ran into you!" she finished, nearly yelling the last part.  
  
Takeru flinched softly as he absorbed her words. Then, for the first time since he learned the truth behind what had happened, he began to slowly drift off into sleep. As Takeru drifted off, Miyako slowly began to gently stroke his hair. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Keru-chan, but you know how much Iori-kun means to me. I just want to make sure he makes it out alive. " 


	6. Removing the Restraints

A/N for Chapter six.  
  
Well, surprisingly, I forgot to add the obligatory "I Don't own" speech to the beginning of this story. Since I have already re-uploaded that one chapter about 7 times trying to get the stupid A/N right... I have decided to add it here before any other A/N message.  
  
"I do not in fact own Digimon or any of the characters therein. "  
  
Well, that wasn't too hard.  
  
Anyways I thought I would respond to a few key reviews now (I just feel so happy that people actually seem to like this ^_^)  
  
Tamagochi - actually I haven't "seen" the original series. I can read Japanese and I have bought the "film" manga. These are Japanese comic books with the art lifted directly from the series. I have to say that it's a great way to "see" the original series.  
  
Fabi-chan - Actually yes, both Iori and Takeru will make it out reasonably O.K. however... there will be at least one Gaiden (side story) that will involve someone's death. If you read the fic carefully you can guess whom.  
  
Recnamorcen - Yes, I know it was a bit slow in the last chapter but these two chapters are just trying to establish Takeru's sense of guilt, which will be pivotal later on (for some reason this looks to be a long fic {especially if I decide to add the Gaiden in here instead of as a separate fic.}) Since I realize that these next two chapters aren't really very "action" packed, I am trying to make up for it in chapter 7, which is already complete.  
  
Energy - I am REALLY honored to have you review my work since I am actually a fan of yours (as you could see by my favorites list). Also, thank you for offering to be a Beta reader. I hope to take advantage of your kind offer.  
  
The next two days seemed to fly by as Takeru lay in contemplation of the accident, successfully complemented by his guilty conscience. Finally, the day came when both the I.V.'s and his arm restraints would be removed. Takeru sighed in relief as he imagined what it would be like to actually change positions in his sleep. It's odd how something so simple as being able to turn over can seem like such a blessing, but I suppose you need to have the ability taken away to really appreciate it. T.K.'s mind snapped back to reality when he noticed that the nurse who had been assigned to him came in, carrying a pair of sharp scissors, a small table with surgical tape and cloth bandages. His eyes must have displayed his confusion, as the nurse suddenly smiled, " Don't worry about the gauze and tape, we just have to tape up the spots where the I.V.'s had entered your body so that you won't bleed for very long, " the nurse explained.  
  
Takeru winced slightly, as the I.V.'s that where placed within his body were slowly withdrawn. It wasn't that there was a lot of pain, it was just that he had gotten used to the painkillers that had been keeping him in a constant state of comfort. T.K. stared dully at the small amount of blood that had seeped up from the small cut into which the I.V.'s catheter had been placed. The nurse tried to reassure him as she bandaged his wrists. She began to tell him step by step the procedures she was following. It only took T.K. three minutes before he began to tune her out.  
  
The whole procedure took less then twenty minutes. As Takeru flexed his sore wrists, he contemplated how good it actually felt to be able to rub his wrists. He relaxed softly, trying not to concentrate on the incredible urge he had to scratch at the bandages. Eventually however he gave into the temptation, and began to rub his wrists together, in an attempt to gain some relief from the itching. It progressed horribly from there, until when Hikari came into the room, she found him nearly gnawing the bandages off.  
  
" So, to recap, last time I came in here, you ended up squirming around for twenty minutes while trying to shrug off one of my comments. This time I come in here to find you with one wrist stuck between your teeth, and both bandages nearly ripped to shreds," Hikari exclaimed with a short laugh.  
  
" It's not that funny! Besides, you can't imagine how much these things itch, " Takeru snapped back as he removed his left wrist from his mouth." So, what are you doing here so early? "  
  
" Keru-chan, you really need a window in this room, " Hikari laughed, " Its nearly three in the afternoon. I see that your wrists have been freed, now, how is the mental adjustment going? "  
  
"What do you mean by that, Hika-chan? "  
  
"I was just wondering whether or not Yamato had told you about poor Iori- chan, and what happened after you blacked out? "  
  
At this, Takeru sighed softly and rolled over so that Hikari couldn't see his face. As he thought about everything his Niichan had told him, his face flashed signs of remorse and guilt. " I just don't understand why the driver did that to Iori. I mean, what did he think he would accomplish by killing either of us? Also, I still don't understand why he ran away, " Takeru admitted, as he tried to shield the sorrow from his voice.  
  
" I don't know about those first two questions, but the ambulance driver told me that the second the driver saw the flashing lights from their siren, he ran back to his car and drove off. "  
  
" I guess that makes sense Hikari, but I still feel responsible for the whole incident. Have they told you anything about Iori-Chan's condition yet, or are they still giving everyone the silent treatment? "  
  
" They said that he still hasn't returned to consciousness, but that it should be any time now. Miyako has already made arrangements, so that they will move Iori into this room once he wakes up. That way she will be able to look after both of you. I am still amazed at the fact that her parents have allowed her to stay here nearly twenty-four seven. I always knew that Iori-chan and Miyako were close, but this goes far beyond mere friendship, " As Hikari finished talking, she finally sat down on the chair that rested beside Takeru. However, to do so, she had to disturb a very comfortable Patamon.  
  
" Keru-chan! " The little pot-roast exclaimed as it flew into Takeru's open arms, " When were your arms freed? "  
  
" About an hour ago, Pata-chan, " the blond sighed as he held the little angel type in his arms, " Sorry Hika-chan had to disturb your peaceful slumber, though. "  
  
" it's okay, I was planning on getting up sometime soon anyways, " The small digimon replied, as it flew upwards to perch onto T.K.'s head.  
  
For a few blissful moments, the two old friends remained silent. Hikari was watching Takeru out of the corner of her eye, trying to catalog every movement that caused her old friend pain. Takeru was meanwhile still dwelling on his feelings of guilt. He still felt as if needed to do something to repay Iori-san's actions. While he thought this' he began to lower his body until he returned to a reclining position. Slowly Patamon slid from T.K.'s side and scooted to his right side.  
  
As both children were thus occupied, they were extremely surprised when a flushed Miyako burst into the room. " He's finally woken up, " the girl screamed to her two best friends, not noticing the odd glances Hikari and Takeru shot at each other. 


	7. First Visit

A/N: Angst, Angst, and Angst! This is another chapter that features Iori and his memories about his father! Don't we all just love torturing the poor little guy? Anyway here you guys go... and that message in chapter six about the speech, goes for the whole fic okay?  
  
  
  
Iori was glad, that at the moment he couldn't talk. He smiled however, as he watched Miyako running around the room franticly, trying to make sure he was more "comfortable". He watched as she proceeded to fluff the pillow he was laying on for the third time in as many moments. I guess she has always done this. I remember when I was a little kid Miya-chan used to fuss over me whenever I would even skin my knee. Its been this way since O- Tousan died, Iori thought as tears started to well up from the corners of his eyes. Unfortunately for Iori's sake, Miyako noticed this.  
  
"My god Iori-kun... I haven't been bugging you have I?" Miyako asked suddenly feeling massively guilty for seemingly keeping him awake.  
  
Iori began to slowly shake his head as he winced at the pain in his chest. The doctors had told him that his body would still ache for about a month after the incident since he took most of the attack in his chest. He groaned softly from the pain.  
  
" Iori... are you okay?" Miyako asked suddenly as she noticed the pained grimace that crossed her best friend's face.  
  
Iori's body shuddered from the pain as he tried to force his body to relax. He hated being like this since it meant he had to rely on others to do things that he was normally capable of doing. He disliked the feeling of helplessness and the suspicion that he was causing trouble for everyone. The thing Iori hated the most though was the fact that he had caused Miyako to think that it had been her fault that he was uncomfortable. Iori slowly shook his head in an attempt to convey that it was not Miyako's fault that he was uncomfortable and at the same time, to attempt to alleviate her fears of Iori's discomfort.  
  
This however had the opposite effect on Miyako. While Iori was trying to tell her that he wasn't in pain from her actions Miya thought that his pained head shake meant that he was either angry with her or that she had been annoying him. " Iori-kun... I am so sorry that I have been keeping you up... but if you want to see Hika-chan, and Take-chan you'll have to try and stay concise. They are still trying to get a wheelchair around so that they can bring Take-chan in here. Unfortunately he still can't move around unassisted." Iori shifted softly as Miyako began talking about Takeru and Hikari Iori had been worried over the last few days as to exactly how bad off Takeru actually was. He began to once again mentally run over the accident as Miyako stared down at him.  
  
It's weird to see Iori-kun in such deep thought. I wonder exactly what he's thinking about. I hope he isn't stressing over the accident. I remember when he was younger and his father died...  
  
----------Flashback to four years prior---------  
  
The rain pored down on the small apartment complex as Hida, Iori lay curled into a tight fetal position. A few hours ago he had been at the hospital with his O-Ka-san and O-Jii-san. He still remembered how his stomach had suddenly lurched when he saw the doctor come into the waiting room, and told the expectant family that his O-to-san hadn't been strong enough to survive the attack the assailant had made. He had felt extremely angry at that moment as he thought of the fact that his father had been killed while trying to protect someone else. At the time Iori had been too young to form his now cement code of honor and duty.  
  
Iori began to cry again for the hundredth time as he remembered how his O- to-chan had looked when the doctor had let them see his body. He remembered the look of absolute peace that his O-to-chan wore, and he wondered now whether or not the doctors or the staff had "arranged" that look on his O- to-Chan's face. Iori began to sob harder as he thought this, and his small body began to twist itself further.  
  
As preoccupied as Iori was he failed to notice his bedroom door begin to open. Inoue, Miyako silently stole into Iori's room and stared at her new friend. They had met about a week ago, in Odiaba Park when a local bully was picking on Iori. After Miyako had come to his aid, they became quick friends and had been nearly inseparable ever since.  
  
Miyako frowned as she watched the small boy sobbing into his mattress. His mother had explained the situation to Miyako only a few moments before, but the story had been on television for a few hours so Miyako had in fact been waiting for the Hida's return.  
  
Miyako slowly advanced on the small form, until she was standing beside Iori's prone huddled body. Softly she lowered herself and, before Iori could protest, scooped him into a tight hug. Instead of shying away from the embrace... Iori found himself seeking comfort in it and began to sob more readily as Miyako gently stroked his back.  
  
---------Back to the present---------  
  
Miyako stared softly at her young friend as her memories began to fade away. Iori still seemed to be in a world of his own however, which further worried Miyako. They both were startled when the sound of someone clearing their throat was heard above the near eerie silence that had fallen.  
  
" It is my great pleasure to announce the arrival of the newly mobile Takaishi, Takeru," Hikari said somberly as she wheeled a slightly flustered Takeru into the room.  
  
" Sorry I am so late guys," Takeru began, " you wouldn't believe all the paperwork you have to fill out to get one of these things." As Takeru finished he patted the chair's side softly.  
  
The first thing Takeru noticed was Iori looking thoughtfully towards him. For some reason this began to make T.K. very aware of himself as he quietly wheeled himself over to Iori's side.  
  
" And how are we doing?" Takeru asked softly as he reached down to ruffle Iori's bowl cut hair.  
  
Iori tried to struggle away from Takeru's ministrations but T.K. had a tactical advantage since the chair gave him more mobility then Iori's bed. Thankfully, Miyako intervened in time as she snatched Takeru's hand away, chastising him for bothering Iori. Iori sighed softly as he sank back into the mattress blissfully. However he couldn't help but smile at the familiar way in which Takeru had greeted him. A few years ago before he had gone through the digital world with the other Digi-destined he would have shied away from any contact with new people whenever socially acceptable. Now he actually found himself sometimes seeking the comfort of his newfound friends.  
  
As both Takeru and Iori seemed to become lost in their own worlds, Miyako softly nudged Hikari in the ribs. The two friends shared a soft smile as they watched their mutual best friends bonding with each other. 


	8. Breaking Point

Iori watched with half lidded eyes as his O-Ka-san bustled about the room in a frenzied manner. It was at this moment that he realized how similar his mother and Miyako were. I guess they both reacted pretty harshly when I got injured. I hate doing this to them and I wish I could just get out of here. I hope they both know how much I appreciate them though, even if this is the sixth glass of water O-ka-san has brought me, Iori thought as he wrinkled his nose in reaction to the offending glass. Instead of picking up the glass, Iori managed to turn himself over, and began to doze off.  
  
Since he had turned over, Iori was able to see the door to the room he was currently in. Thus he was forced to fight back the seductive motives of sleep as he watched Inoue Miyako walk slowly into the room holding a distinctly familiar tan fluff ball. He smiled and gave a slight wave of his right hand as he watched Miyako carry Upamon over towards his bed. Unfortunately for them both, Iori's O-Ka-san heard Miyako's "stealthy" attempt at crossing the floor and turned to face the young girl. " Ohayou- Gozaimasu Hida-senpai," Miyako spoke softly with a short bow. "Ohayou Miyako-chan. I see you brought one of Iori's toys for him." "Hai, I brought one of his favorites so that he wouldn't feel quite so out of place here," Miyako spoke softly as she placed the small bundle next to Iori. Iori's mother almost noticed, as the small fluff ball seemed to cuddle against her son. However, she pushed the suspicion out of her mind as she noticed a nurse waiting outside for her. " Gomen Iori-chan but I have to get going now," Hida O-Ka-san (does anyone know her real name?) whispered as she left the room softly.  
  
----------Mid Chapter A/N: ---------- Sorry to interrupt, but at this point the story can take two different turns (after this chapter I mean.) This depends on whether or not I put the Gaiden here or as a separate story. The Gaiden would mean more work for me, less frequent chapter updates (since I will be essentially writing two stories at once) but a much richer/longer story over all. However, if the side story appears as a separate story, it will be more developed in itself, and will also not detract from the two main characters of this story. (The Gaiden will still follow Takeru and Iori, but will center on Iori's family, Jyou Kido, and possibly Miyako, and Koushiro.) I am leaning more towards separate stories but I wanted to get my readers opinions (that's assuming people still read this. ^_^) ----------End A/N----------  
  
As his O-Ka-san left the room Iori followed her with his eyes, wondering why she seemed so nervous. I guess she is just stressed lately. She wasn't doing too well at work before I ended up getting thrown in here, Iori was pulled from his thoughts however by the joyful squealing of the small animal currently trying to burrow itself inside his chest. Iori softly pulled Upamon up to his face and starred at the little creature before speaking, "What are you doing here Upa-chan? I thought you were staying with Taichi and Hikari along with Patamon?" "When Hika brought Pat- chan to Takeru a few days ago, I got kind of lonely without you... so I asked Miyako to bring me in to see you! Aren't you happy to see me Iori- kun," the small fluff ball asked uncertainly? "Of course I'm happy, just a little confused. You know that you can't stay here for too long, since you can't be seen by the nurses, right?" "I know Iori-kun I just wanted to see you again. It seems like it's been forever since I've been able to talk to you," the small Digimon spoke as it continued its attempt at burrowing through Iori.  
  
Iori laid there while Upamon squeaked in quiet joy. He was watching Miyako as she began to circle the room looking at all of the things His O-Ka-san had left him, to try to make the hospital room more "home-like". He sighed unhappily as he was left with his thoughts for the moment. I still don't understand everything that happened. And I have no clue as to what was wrong with Takeru the other day. Why was he acting so friendly? He had never acted that close to me, even when our Digimon Digivolved together. I pray he wasn't feeling guilty about the accident. It really wasn't his fault... Iori's brain rambled on, as he felt tired once again.  
  
Miyako meanwhile had walked back to Iori's side, watching, as her best friend seemed to slowly drift off into his own thoughts. She slowly reached down and stroked his bowl cut hair back into place. Iori looked up at Miyako with heavily lidded eyes as he yawned fiercely. "Looks like someone needs a little nap," Miyako chided softly. "I'll just leave you two alone. I'll be back tomorrow for Upamon." With this, Miyako left the room shutting off the light as she went. In the now darkened room, Iori smiled to himself. Content in the knowledge that not only did he have his O-Ka-san to take care of him; he also had his O-Nee-chan as well.  
  
A/N: I just would like to thank my new Beta reader Energy for taking up so much of his time. Please go and read one of his fics in appreciation if you have enjoyed the last two chapters. Also this might be the last update for about a week or two since I have both two papers to write for classes, and two tests to write for the courses I am teaching.  
  
Yoshiki. 


	9. A Permanent Visitor

A/N form now on I will have to use some kind of text hint to show the passing of time. I will be using the following --------- (some passing of time reference)--------- This is similar to the way in which I have given both A/N's in the middle of the chapter, and also how I have done flash backs.  
  
Takeru was practically giddy this morning. For the first time in what seemed like months, he would have someone to talk to for an extended period of time. He fidgeted gently as he waited for the nurses to bring Iori into their now larger joint room. Takeru glanced over at the other bed that occupied his room. It was identical to his with the slight exception that it still had several IV hooks arranged around it. I guess Iori-chan hasn't been taken off of medication yet, Takeru sighed mentally as he attempted to find a more comfortable position to lie in. He straightened however when he heard the door open.  
  
Takeru's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Iori. The small boy was still extremely pale and seemed to be in pain from the short trip he had undergone. Takeru noticed that Iori seemed to be fighting to remain conscious as the nurse began to prepare his wrists to insert the catheters into him. As T.K. continued to stare worriedly at his friend, Iori managed to turn his head to the side and give his friend a slight smile and wave of greeting. Takeru swallowed hard in an attempt to work a sudden lump out of his throat. He had never seen any of his friends like this; let alone Iori, who seemed to be impervious to injury. The waves of guilt that suddenly hit Takeru forced him to bury his face into his pillow.  
  
Iori noticed this however and interpreted it wrong. Why is Takeru-chan acting so strange lately? He keeps either staring at me or turning away from me! I am starting to think he doesn't want me sharing this room with him, Iori's thoughts were destroyed as the slight pain from the IVs made him yelp in response. This gained another odd response from Takeru as Iori watched him stiffen then stand. Iori was confused as T.K. walked slowly over to his bedside and began to stroke his hair gently while murmuring soothing noises. Iori's body initially stiffened at the contact but soon began to relax under Takeru's ministrations. Iori smiled up at his friend and murmured an apology before slowly fading off into sleep.  
  
As Takeru stared down at his youngest friend the nurse walked by him heading out of the room. As she passed, she stopped, and placing a hand on T.K.'s shoulder spoke softly, "Thank you for trying to make this as comfortable as possible for him." With this she smiled and walked out the door. Takeru stood for a few moments longer, staring down at Iori as he slept, smiling to himself before returning to his bed with a soft grown of pain.  
  
---------(Five hours later)---------  
  
Takeru's eyes fluttered open as he noticed the sound of someone else's breathing in the room. He remained still however as he realized that Iori was still sleeping and that it was his snores he was hearing. He listened quietly to the even sound as he began to relive the accident in his mind once again. He was desperately searching for anything that could help either himself or Iori. He still couldn't remember anything about either the car or the man who had driven it though, so he began to become more and more frustrated. He sighed softly and rolled onto his side. Once there he found himself locked into a staring contest with Iori who had woken up during Takeru's contemplation.  
  
"Ohayou gozaimasu Takeru-kun. Are you doing all right? You seemed to be struggling with something," Iori's soft voice sounded. Takeru noticed that there was a certain amount of strain to Iori's voice. "I'm okay Iori-chan. I was just trying to remember anything that could help the others. You know, I was trying to remember a license plate or our assailant?es features or... something that could help you," Takeru admitted. "Gomen... but I cant really remember anything other then the smile that the man had... and that his car was... black I think," Iori spoke while wincing slightly. "You've got more then me at least, " Takeru began while eyeing Iori suspiciously, "by the way, how are you feeling? You look like you're in a lot of pain over there." "I will be alright Keru-chan, I am just getting over the trip down the hall." Iori sighed deeply suddenly, "Takeru, can I ask you a serious question?" "Sure, what's on your mind Iori-chan?" "Do you hate me?" Iori asked the now shocked Takeru.  
  
T.K. blinked in surprise. Why would he think I hated him? I've never tried to be anything other then a friend to him. I wonder what's brought on this sudden change in Iori-chan. "Why would you think I hate you Iori- chan?" Takeru finally asked the now silent Iori. "It's just that you've been acting so strangely around me for the last few days. Like a few hours ago when the nurse was placing the IVs in, I was watching you and suddenly you turned away from me as if you didn't want to see me. I just thought that maybe you were angry about something I've done. I know I haven't been around as much these days but I have had to travel further to practice my Kendo. I just kind of feel guilty about it," Iori finished as he began to turn away. Iori had been attempting not to cry as he said this. In truth it had taken a lot of courage to admit his feelings to Takeru like this and Iori suddenly felt drained and saddened at the same time.  
  
Takeru watched as his friend turned away, and saw his small shoulders begin to quiver. Immediately he began to rise despite the pain he had been feeling recently and walked over to Iori's side. He pulled a nearby chair over to Iori's bed and sat silently, watching his youngest friend as he sobbed. "Iori, I have never... and will never... hate you, " Takeru began, " The only reason I turned away this morning is because I heard you crying in pain... and I felt responsible for it. I couldn't stand thinking that you where in pain because of me. As for the other day, I was just worried about you. It was the first time you had been awake in days and I wanted to make sure you were okay." As Takeru spoke these last words he gently leaned over and embraced his smaller friend.  
  
Initially, Iori stiffened at the contact. He wasn't sure exactly why Takeru was fretting so much. It wasn't like they had been really good friends before this. He had talked with T.K. more then anyone other then Miyako... but Takeru couldn't know that. Iori shifted softly till he faced Takeru. He saw that T.K. was smiling at him and he suddenly felt glad to have the blond staying in the same room as he was. He began to smile as well, and spoke gently, "I'm sorry if I upset you with my questions Takeru-chan, It's just that I haven't been able to think too clearly in the last few days. I've either been forced into a drug-induced sleep, or Miyako has been asking me all kind of questions, or O-Kaa-san has been in and I've been forced to hide my pain." "Why are you hiding your condition from your mother?" Takeru asked shocked. "Well, one of the nurses was talking about how frazzled she looked, and when I focused on her she did seem to be pretty upset. Also she seems to be pretty much living here these last few days. I am worried whether or not she will lose her job if she keeps this up." Iori's voice dropped to nearly a whisper near the end, but fortunately since Takeru was still holding Iori's body he heard the soft voice. Takeru tightened his grip on his small friend and began to whisper into his ear attempting to use the same soothing voice his O-Nii-chan had used back when he was scared in the Digital world. As his voice began to penetrate Iori's defenses the small boy buried himself into T.K.'s arms and began to drift back into sleep.  
  
A/N: Well, unlike what I said, I will be adding more chapters to this (yes its not done yet). I will just ignore the Gaiden until I get the responses to my question (see the last chapters mid-story A/N).  
  
Thanks for reading thus far: Yoshiki 


	10. Laughter and Digimon

Iori awoke with a pronounced stiffness in his back. In a few moments he realized why. He was still snuggled deep into Takeru's arms. He blushed slightly as he managed to squirm his way out of T.K.'s grasp. Iori smiled up at his friend. He couldn't remember the last time he had allowed anyone other then Miyako to hold him like that, and even then it was during his fathers death. He sighed quietly as he managed to settle himself into a more comfortable position. As he watched Takeru sleep half on the chair and half on Iori's bed he began to chuckle lightly.  
  
Takeru awoke from his nap to the sound of soft laughter. As he opened his eyes he saw Iori smiling lightly at him while laughing. T.K. was extremely confused for a moment until he noticed exactly what position he was in. As he straightened up he also began to chuckle. He gently reached out and ruffled Iori's hair as he began to spasm with laughter. It was the first time in weeks that he had seen Iori actually laugh and the feeling became contagious. While they were busy they failed to hear light footsteps enter the room.  
  
Yamato Ishida stood staring at his brother and his friend. He shrugged his shoulders as he released the two bundles that he had been carrying. Patamon flew instantly towards Takeru, stalling only to give his laughing human partner an odd glance. Upamon, however, was having difficulties. He couldn't seem to jump high enough to get over the rail of Iori's bed.  
  
Eventually, Takeru calmed down enough to reach down and help the tan fluff ball into Iori's waiting arms. "So... what was so funny that the two of you didn't notice me entering the room?" "Gomen, O-Nee-chan. I just found myself in an interesting position this morning," Takeru said while attempting to stifle his still lingering laughter. "It's okay, although I am looking forward to a more in-depth explanation when we get you out of here and this is all over with. I just stopped by to ask you guys if either of you could remember anything that could help us find this guy." Yamato finished talking and walked over to where Takeru had been sitting. He hefted his younger brother up, and forced him to head over to his own bed. "I think you'll be more comfortable over here." Takeru gave a weak smile before shaking his head, "Gomen, Yama-chan but neither of us can remember anything that will really help you out." Yamato only shrugged Takeru's comment off as he began to smooth out T.K.'s hair. "It's fine if you guys can't think of anything, I was just asking. The most important thing now is that the two of you get your rest. I am going to come back in a few days so I will just leave the mons' with you two. Make sure you guys feed them," Yamato waved as he left the room.  
  
---------(Five hours later)---------  
  
Takeru shifted in his chair as he considered the cards in front of him. He threw three chips onto the growing pile on Iori's mattress. "I'll raise you three, Iori-chan," he mumbled while watching Patamon finish off the food he had been brought hours earlier. Iori tossed his three chips onto the pile as he laid down his card. They had been trying to find different activities that they could do while staying marginally motionless and had finally settled on playing a few rounds of poker. Iori smiled happily as he scooped his newly obtained pile of chips towards him. "I've almost beat you again Takeru. How many will that make?" "So far you've managed to clean me out five times Iori-chan," Takeru smiled as he scratched the back of his head. He managed to reshuffle the cards, and began to deal them out. "If you manage to beat me another time... I'll take you out for ice cream the second we get out of here, O.K.?" Takeru asked as he dealt Iori's hand. "Is that six times total, or in a row?" "Total, why?" "Well, since I already beat you a few hours ago when we where first looking around the room for something to do so..." "Okay Iori-chan! You win already," Takeru laughed as he looked over his cards. Takeru couldn't help but admit that the last few hours had been some of the best of his life. Even with the slight amount of pain he has been feeling, he was reveling in the joy that Iori seemed to take in just being around him. He smiled as he began their betting process again.  
  
At the same time, Iori was also thinking about how much fun he had been having. With his O-Kaa-san's working all the time and his O-Jii-san getting weaker and weaker, He had been feeling really lonely lately. He appreciated the fact that Takeru had made such an effort to both entertain him and also to ensure that he wasn't engaged in too much physical activity. However at the same time he was extremely confused. Takeru had never ever paid so much attention to him. Iori began to try to puzzle through his own muddled emotions at this point and began to tune out the card game. He began to smile as he thought of all the times Takeru had either helped him or noticed his attempts to be heard in the group. He figured Takeru must have been sympathetic with him since he was once the youngest as well.  
  
Takeru reached out and shakes Iori gently. " You okay Iori-kun? I've never seen you space out like this before." "I'm fine Takeru-chan, " Iori replied quickly trying to hide the slight blush that had started to spread as soon as Takeru had used the personal moniker on him. Takeru smiled back at his friend as he spread his cards down. "Full house! For once I've actually won one, " he announced happily.  
  
A/N well the pace will be slowing slightly from here on in. We've finally arrived at the point where Iori and Takeru are beginning to work through their feelings for each other so, this story will begin to focus more towards their emotional states and less towards their physical conditions (this also means I can no longer use the wonderful writers gimmick that is "Fainting characters" ^_^)  
  
Yoshiki 


	11. Complications and Revelations

A/N: This will be the first chapter that actually reveals how one character feels about the other (to themselves at least) thus if you dislike Yaoi and were reading this for some reason this is your last chance to back out. Also this will be an unusually long chapter for me. Also if you dislike medical descriptions (especially needles) don't read the first few paragraphs and skip down to the break point (symbolized by the time break.)  
  
I will be using the following for subconscious dreams. ~~~~~~~~~(Characters name)~~~~~~~~~  
  
Large A/N news: I have placed an old website of mine back into active duty. Please go to the following site to download the Japanese characters songs for each character of digimon (sans Dai, Miyako and Sora (haven't bought their CD... yet.)  
  
http://members.tripod.com/murakumo_1/files.html  
  
Takeru was extremely worried. Well in actuality he was absolutely terrified. A few moments ago Iori had started to cough violently. T.K. was by his side in moments but he froze when he saw Iori. Their had been blood coming from his coughing mouth. Takeru had screamed and luckily for the two of them a nurse had been nearby and had responded to his screams of terror. The only thing that Takeru could think of doing after they had taken Iori back to the infirmary was to curl himself into a tight ball and sob.  
  
Over the past three days since that morning he had woken up with his young friend in his arms, he had become more and more confused as to just how much Iori meant to his life. He began to piece together memories of the past, looking for anything that might shed some light as to exactly how his young friend felt about him. He continued to go back to the day when The Digidestined had faced BlackWarGreymon at the last destiny stone. He remembered feeling Iori's heartbeat against his chest as his friend had clutched him and buried his face into his stomach. He remembered the feeling of being connected with Iori as the light from their Digimons' joint evolution light up the sky around them. He still remembered how happy Iori had been at that moment... but what surprised him the most was the memory of how he himself had felt. He remembered a feeling of euphoria enveloping him as he held the younger boy to him and a feeling that he was stronger somehow because of it.  
  
Takeru managed to curl even further in on himself as he suddenly saw the image of Iori, mouth covered in blood, coughing horribly. His whole body shivered as he began to break down. He began to cough hoarsely as he felt his already dry throat begin to constrict. Suddenly a soft hand landed on his shoulder... and as he turned to look upwards was faced with someone he dreaded seeing.  
  
Miyako looked disheveled as she stared down at Takeru's form. He guessed correctly that someone must have told her what had happened earlier as Takeru took in her appearance. "Gomen Niasei Miya-kun... I couldn't help him," Takeru managed before another blast of guilt-mixed pain wracked his body. Miyako slowly lowered herself down next to Takeru's side. She began to stroke his blond hair attempting to calm him down enough to speak. "It's alright Takeru... Iori should be okay. The doctors said that this would be a tricky procedure but that it shouldn't have any complications."  
  
"What happened to him Miya-chan? He was just fine an hour ago. I mean he has been complaining that his chest hurt... but what happened to him couldn't be related could it?" "Actually yes, Takeru. You see the doctors factored that into Iori's care but they thought it had something to do with the surgery they performed on his chest. Usually when the human body is opened... there is a form of discomfort there. So they suspected that Iori's 'discomfort' was simply post-operative discomfort and not something else," Miyako's voice had taken on a soft southing tone as she tried to cradle Takeru into a more restful position.  
  
"So what is wrong with him Miyako-chan?" "Well... During the incident you too where forced to lie on the cold street for a while. This coupled with the effect of Iori's stab wounds led to a form of pneumonia developing in his chest." "That still doesn't explain the blood!" Takeru had become hysterical at this point and whirled around to face Miyako.  
  
"Actually it does explain it. You see while the blood pooled in his chest his body somehow managed to shunt some of it into his lungs where it mixed with the fluids already collecting there from the pneumonia. That's why he began to cough horribly. His body was simply trying to reject the blood and fluids that had already pooled in his lungs." At this point Miyako stopped, and reached out to take Takeru's hand. "You see, the next step is to remove the fluids from Iori-kun's lungs. The only real way to do this however is to place a hypodermic needle into his chest to draw out the blood and then discard it. However this is an extremely dangerous process since the doctors could draw too much from Iori's lungs and end up collapsing them. Similarly if they fail to take enough fluid it will only manage to build up within his lungs causing him even more discomfort and weakening his immune system to dangerous levels. They are going to start drawing the blood in a few moments so we should be able to know how it went soon."  
  
As Miyako finished she drew Takeru into a soft embrace. "I know how much Iori-chan has come to mean to you in the last few days Keru-chan. It's alright to cry but you can't allow yourself to become too weak or you will inevitably end up worse than him. How could I ever face Iori again if I let you get hurt again? He'd kill me!"  
  
"Miyako... I'm sorry I just feel like this is my entire fault. If I hadn't gotten into all of this he would still be alright, " Takeru buried his face into his hands as he began to shudder once again.  
  
Miyako did the only thing she could think of, pulling Takeru tighter into her arms. Takeru sighed softly as he snuggled deeply into the embraced and continued to sob.  
  
---------(The next day)---------  
  
Takeru was feeling horrible. It wasn't just the fact that he had broken down in front of one of his best friends... but it was also that he had still not heard anything about Iori's condition.  
  
He began to pace the room sullenly, as he fumed about the possibilities. What happens if Iori dies because of this? I still can't figure out just what's happening to me, and if it involves Iori he also has a right to know! I just don't want to have to think about this anymore, He sighed softly as he leaned against the side of his bed. Takeru had already been informed that he could not continue to push his body as hard as he had been since the accident but at the moment he really couldn't care less whether he lived or died. His entire body seemed focused on whether or not Iori would be able to pull through this newest operation.  
  
Takeru continued to rest against his bed as he began to drift off into sleep. He had the sense of mind to lower himself onto is bed before going fully unconscious.  
  
~~~~~~~~~(Takeru's dream world)~~~~~~~~~  
  
Takeru woke softly. He must have fallen asleep while playing in the field since he was now leaning against a tree and he didn't remember placing himself there. He stretched, trying to work out the kinks that had formed in his back. He searched the surrounding areas for a few minutes. He sighed softly. I don't want to be alone anymore... where is everyone today? I thought they'd all be here by now. Takeru closed his eyes and returned to leaning against what he thought was a tree. As he began to become more comfortable a strange thought came to him. "Since when are trees warm?" He wondered aloud. That's when it happened. Two arms suddenly surrounded him and he gasped. He spun around quickly, trying to escape, thinking that either someone was trying to harm him or that some Digimon had attempted to capture him. As he turned he was suddenly pushed backwards by a small form. As he staggered his lips where suddenly forced into a hard kiss.  
  
Takeru's head suddenly swam as emotions washed over him. The small form pressed harder against him, slumping into his form. A soft moan emitted from Takeru's mouth as the other being continued to kiss him with harder and harder pressure. With extreme reluctance he pulled the now seemingly weak figure from his own body. Looking down he was shocked to see an extremely content looking Hida Iori smiling up at him. Both of their cheeks where flushed as they stared into each other's eyes.  
  
" Gomen Niasei Takeru-kun... but I've wanted to do that to you for a long time. I just couldn't stand it when I saw you out here all alone. I watched you stumbling backwards towards the tree so I slipped in between and... the rest I guess you know, " Iori suddenly began to stare at his own feet for a moment as he considered what he had done.  
  
Takeru suddenly found himself not only happy at the thought of Iori kissing him, but also wanting to do so again. Slowly he reached out and took Iori back into his arms, closing the gap between them, and beginning to trail a soft kiss down his lips. The look of pure shock on Iori's face was Takeru's reward. "Sorry if I surprised you, but I wanted to make sure how you felt, " Takeru whispered hoarsely into Iori's ear.  
  
" Aishiteru Takeru-kun... Aishiteru! "  
  
~~~~~~~~~(Reality)~~~~~~~~~  
  
Takeru's body shot alert as those three words rang in his mind. He waited a few moments so that his eyes could adjust to the lower light in his now darkened hospital room. His chest heaved as he fought to gain control over his racing heart. It was only a few minutes later that he made a realization that would change his entire life.  
  
Takaishi Takeru was in love with Hida Iori.  
  
A/N: well that took quite a bit to write. I would just like to ask what everyone thought of the dream scene since its my first time ever writing a scene like this with someone else's character. Also I would like to mention once again: thanks to my Beta reader. He has made most of this fic possible by double-checking most of my mistakes. Please look him up under Energy.  
  
Yoshiki. 


	12. Takeru's Break Down

A/N well another feelings chapter. Hope you guys like it. From now on the chapters will be twice as long as usual. This is because the story is getting easier to write as the characters have finally been maneuvered into place.  
  
Takeru sat quietly by the bedside as he looked down at Iori's small form. Ever since the dream he had been trying to find an opportunity to be with Iori again. Finally the doctors relented and returned Iori to their joint room and Takeru had vigilantly watched over Iori's side ever since. He seemed to be riveted to Iori's bedside as he continued to pamper the small boy. Iori still could not move due to the pain that raced throughout his chest. Even the slightest movement could force the small boy to shudder in pain. Takeru watched helplessly as his friend continued to struggle with attempting to appear brave for his O-Kaa-san.  
  
Iori shifted quietly in his bed to stare up at Takeru's outlined form. Takeru-chan sure has been acting strange lately. It's probably just because of my bout with pneumonia. I still can't help but wonder if there isn't something else wrong with him though. Iori reached out slowly till his hand came into contact with Takeru's upper arm. Instantly T.K. snapped to attention and looked worriedly down at his smaller friend "Is there anything wrong, Iori-chan?" He asked with hesitation. "Iie Takeru-chan but I was wondering if you were all right? I was worried that you were troubled over something." As Iori spoke his last sentence he watched as Takeru stiffened and began to look away quickly.  
  
Iori moved quickly so that he left Takeru no time to react. Before Takeru knew what had happened he suddenly found himself wrapped in a small embrace. For some reason this seemed to be too much for Takeru as he began to break down and sob. Iori only tightened his hold on his older friend. "You held me when I cried before, ne? Well, don't worry. I don't mind returning the favor." As Iori spoke softly, Takeru buried his head into the joint in between Iori's neck and shoulder blade.  
  
Once ensconced there he began to shiver gently. "Gomen Iori-kun. I just couldn't stand seeing you in pain. Ever since you collapsed I've been so worried that you wouldn't be able to make it through the series of operations. And then when you caught pneumonia and collapsed the second time I was even more afraid that your body wouldn't be able to withstand the treatment. I just didn't want to lose you and now that you're back here it's just been weighing more and more on my mind. I hated the thought that I hadn't been able to notice your pain until it was too late and you had already started to become injured by your illness. I feel like I failed you somehow." Takeru finally broke down and wrapped himself around his friend. He couldn't seem to manage telling Iori about the other reasons he had been so worried, or about the dream/realization he had the night Iori went in for his first treatments.  
  
Iori was shocked to say the least. This was the first time he had ever seen his friend break down like this. Even when BlackWarGreymon died... Takeru wasn't this bad. Sure he had tears in his eyes but he wasn't shaking like this... and he didn't need anyone to hold him like I am now. Iori simply held on tighter to the now quivering Takeru. "Its okay, Takeru-kun. I don't think any less of you because of this. To tell you the truth I felt the same way when I saw you get hit by that car. I suddenly felt like something I cared a lot about had been taken away from me." Takeru's head rose slightly during the last few words and managed to meet Iori's eye-level. "You really felt that way?" Takeru's voice wavered when he asked this. "Hai... why do you ask?"  
  
Takeru's mind whirled when he heard Iori talking about how much he had worried. This can't mean that he loves me but it does mean that he at least cares for me... right? I mean he wouldn't be that worried about me if he didn't have some feelings for me? Takeru still couldn't decide how Iori thought of him though. No matter how much he cared for Iori, he was still too scared to tell him just how much he cared. Takeru simply returned his head to Iori's shoulder and sighed softly. "Gomen Iori, I know I haven't been acting like my normal self lately. I'm just going through some odd changes and I can't seem to get a few things worked through. Eventually I'll be back to normal. Can you forgive me for troubling you so, Iori-kun?" "I don't mind at all Takeru-kun, I was just worried about you is all. It seems like all I've been able to do lately is worry the people I care about."  
  
---------(Twenty four hours later)---------  
  
For the first time in almost a week Takeru was smiling. His O-Nii-san was going to stop by today with Patamon. He couldn't wait to see his partner again as they had been unable to sneak him in while Iori had been in critical care. He had also managed to convince Miyako to both bring Upamon in for Iori and to take Iori on a tour of the hospital so that he could talk to Yamato alone. Today was the day that Takeru had both been looking forward to... and dreading. He was going to tell his O-Nii-chan about his newly developed feelings towards Iori.  
  
Yamato found himself worried as he walked towards his O-touto-Chan's room. It was unusual for Takeru to ask him to come down here like this, but what he found even more unusual was the fact that he had also asked Miyako to come by and distract Iori for the afternoon. He had been wondering what had been happening since his brother had come to the hospital. It was true that sometimes injuries forced people to look at their lives differently but Takeru had seemed to be changing far too rapidly these days. As he walked down the hallway he passed both Miyako and the now wheelchair riding Iori. They both smiled at Yamato as he walked past, giving them nods in return.  
  
Takeru stiffened involuntarily as his O-Nii-chan entered his room. He smiled softly however at both Yamato and Patamon as his initial reaction wore off. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Yama-kun." "Ohayou O-touto-chan. What's up that requires both my presence and the absence of Iori?" Takeru stiffened as Yamato said Iori's name and cursed himself for being so blatant in his planning. "So you figured it out, huh? Well, since what I had to talk to you about included Iori, I didn't really think it would be a good idea for him to be here. Please sit down." Yamato sat down on the bed next to his brother and shot him a questioning glance before placing Patamon down on the pillow. Patamon looked at both humans curiously before deciding that whatever Takeru had to tell his O-Nii- chan was his own business. He flew off to find wherever Miyako and Iori had gone.  
  
Takeru shifted uncomfortably in the silence that followed Patamon's departure. He looked over at his brother only to see both curiosity and apprehension. Takeru shivered slowly at the thought of how his O-Nii-chan would react to his news. "Yamato-chan... I need to tell you something that's really hard for me to admit. Are you okay with hearing something like this?" "I told you when you were younger, Takeru-kun, that you could tell me anything. That still holds true today," Yamato said while steeling himself for the news. Takeru shivered softly as Yamato slid a protective arm around his shoulders. He drew Takeru into an embrace while waiting for his O-Touto- chan to begin. "Yamato-chan... I know you might be disappointed by what I am about to tell you... and I would appreciate it if you could keep this a secret for me. I don't think it would be good if O-Kaa-san found out about this. It also wouldn't be too good if Iori-kun found out either, " As Takeru spoke he sunk his body deeper into Yamato's embrace. "I don't know how your going to react to what I have to say so I should probably tell you about how it happened. You see, about a week ago, on the day that Iori started... 'coughing' I had an extremely realistic dream... about him." Takeru shook softly as he spoke, worrying Yamato even further. Yamato just squeezed his shoulder gently, trying to ensure his brother's comfort. Takeru's voice only grew softer as a result. "In the dream... I'm alone... and kind of scared too. You know how I get sometimes, O-Nii-chan. Anyways... I am standing in a field somewhere. Maybe it's the digital world, I don't really know and it doesn't really matter that much. I look around the whole area but I can't really find anyone.  
  
"That's when it happens. I decide to go back to the tree where I had woken up. I lean back against the tree when I suddenly notice something weird. The tree feels far too warm to be a regular tree. That's when two arms wrap around me from behind and begin hugging me. I try to turn around slowly, but the arms turn me faster and I am suddenly forced into a deep kiss," Takeru began talking in a whispered rush as the dream began to replay in his mind. "I don't try to pull away... Instead I start feeling really good, ne? Suddenly the person breaks the kiss and that's when I see who it was."  
  
Takeru stopped at this point and began staring at his feet. Yamato however had finally pieced the puzzle together and had realized why Takeru had asked Miyako to occupy Iori. He suddenly turned his O-Touto-Chan's face upwards till Takeru was looking into his blue eyes. "Takeru-kun, why would you ever think that your loving Iori would change my attitude towards you? I have never ever made any pretense of being afraid of something like that. I wouldn't stop loving you over something stupid like this. I still love you even if you are in love with another boy," Yamato hugged Takeru softly as he spoke the last few words while gently stroking the younger blondes' back. "However Keru-chan, I do think your right in assuming we shouldn't tell O-Kaa-san about this. I know from a really good source that she's kind of a homophobe and she would probably flip out over the whole thing. " "That's kind of what I figured. I remember she kind of flipped out when she found out that our neighbor was that way. I was kind of scared that you'd flip out too. That's why this was so hard for me to confess to you, O-Nii- chan." As Takeru finished, Yamato noticed for the first time that Takeru had been crying while he told Yamato about his dream. Yamato reached out slowly and wiped the tears away. "Gomen O-Touto-chan. I can't believe I didn't see how much you'd been brooding over Iori's condition. It's kind of funny now that I look back at it but you two always seemed to look good together. That may just be my biased opinion, though." He rubbed Takeru's hair gently, "A Nii-san has to look after his brother, ne? I will always be here if you want to talk about your feelings... or if you want to tell me how you and Iori are 'progressing'." Takeru lashed out at his brother playfully before smiling up at him.  
  
For the first time Takeru realized he could always rely on his O-Nii-chan for help when he really needed it.  
  
A/N: Well here's another chapter done. Their are about another 2-3 chapters left in this part. After this is posted... Look forward to the Iori chapters ^_^. We will have to leave poor Takeru's muddled thoughts alone for a while till we can get Iori into the same predicament. Anyway as always check my site, read something from energy, and keep looking forward to this!  
  
Second A/N: This update is officially dedicated to Rosanna Eleonora Nemes who urged me to update more frequently. Thus you have this Thursday edition of Harsh memories.  
  
Yoshiki.  
  
Third A/N added 9/27/2002 Blargggggggggg! I cant believe I made a mistake like imposing Nee-chan for Nii-chan! Well I guess I can blame it on the fact that I was half-fired today (More next time). I was not feeling up to looking very carefully today. T_T Soooooo depressed right now. 


	13. Hugs, Kisses and Screams

Miyako checked her watch for the seventh time in as many minutes. She was desperately trying to keep to the schedule Takeru had given her... but after the sixth trip around the hospital it became exceedingly harder to distract her young friend. Even now, Iori was shifting uncomfortably in his padded wheelchair. "O-Nee-chan? How long do we have to wait out here?" "Gomen Iori just a few more minutes. What in Kami's name is Takeru doing? I'll have you back in your room in a few minutes."  
  
Finally Miyako's watch ticked the last few seconds away, and she allowed herself to return with Iori. When they entered the room they found an odd sight. Yamato was cradling Takeru while the younger blond sobbed gently. Miyako considered taking Iori back outside, until he began to roll himself over to Takeru's bedside. Yamato watched him approach with a wary eye, and only softened his grip on his O-Touto-chan when he noticed Iori reaching out towards them.  
  
Takeru stiffened in shock as a soft hand touched the small of his back. He turned around slowly only to find himself locked into Iori's eyes. "Takeru- kun? What's wrong? I leave for only a half-hour and I come back to find you sobbing like this again! I hate seeing you like this. It seems like each time I turn my back you've started to go into a deeper and deeper depression! I don't want to have to chain myself to your side! "  
  
Takeru couldn't believe the tone of Iori's words. Where he thought he had seen compassion before... now he only seemed to find either anger or pity. Takeru's body gave a few spasms before he finally managed to regain control of his emotions. He turned away from Iori so that Iori would not be able to read his facial expressions. "I'm sorry I have been troubling you Iori- chan. I never meant to make you angry with me. I was crying because I just told O-nee-chan something that was very hard for me to say. It really had nothing to do about our earlier fight... and I am sorry you mistook my tears as those of sorrow. I was only glad to know that my O-Nii-chan understood what I had to tell him." As Takeru finished he snuggled himself into his bed, purposefully facing away from his younger friend.  
  
However much Takeru tried to hide it... Iori caught both the pain and anger in his friend's voice. He felt immensely guilty for the way in which he had treated Takeru. "T.K.? Look I didn't mean to say that it was your fault. I'm sorry I spoke like that. I'm not angry with you I'm only worried that you might be hurting yourself over something that isn't necessarily your fault." Iori softly reached out and stroked Takeru's hair back as he tried to reassure his older friend. Takeru found himself responding to Iori's gentle actions. He almost immediately felt guilty for how he had responded to Iori's outburst. He turned to face his friend and gave him a weak smile in response. This drew a similar smile from Iori as Miyako slowly lifted Iori out of the wheelchair and replaced him inside his bed. The two waved at each other before turning over and settling into their own separate dreams.  
  
~~~~~~~~~(Iori's unconscious)~~~~~~~~~  
  
The car sped towards Takeru at what seemed like the speed of light. Iori felt as if one second he had been watching one of his only friends laughing and playing... and the next he was watching said friend fly through the air only to land in a crumpled heap. Iori burst into tears as he watched Takeru land hard on the concrete. The blood had already started to form under his friend as he ran towards him. Iori reached out, attempting to grab a hold of his friend but with each step Iori took Takeru's body seemed to move just out of reach. As he lunged once again he suddenly found himself flying into Takeru's open arms. The taller boy who instantly made sure Iori was all right caught him quite easily. " Takeru! I just saw... you got hit? What happened? How are you standing here like this? " It wasn't until this moment however that Iori noticed that Takeru was cradling him. "Gomen Iori-kun! I thought you were hurt. When I saw you bleeding like that..."  
  
Suddenly Iori found himself not in the familiar crosswalk that had been flashing through his mind for the last few weeks, but back in his hospital room, with Takeru softly hugging him. Iori's mind began to spin unpleasantly as he began to make sense of what just happened. I must have dozed off for a second. But hasn't this already happened? Iori's thoughts were interrupted however as Takeru slowly began to stroke the younger boys lower back in concentric circles. Iori blushed suddenly at the attention Takeru was lavishing on him.  
  
He began to squirm gently under the older being's hands. "Am I making you uncomfortable Iori-kun?"  
  
As Takeru's voice reached him, Iori suddenly realized how much emotion his friend was projecting. He suddenly felt his body being pressed tighter against Takeru's. He found that he didn't find this the least bit unpleasant however. It was different from the other times people had tried to hug him. In Takeru's embrace he did not find the pity and empathy most people gave him. Takeru didn't see a child broken by his O-Too-sans death. Instead he saw Iori for what he was. A person just as important as Takeru himself. Iori snuggled himself against Takeru's chest.  
  
~~~~~~~~~(Short burst of reality)~~~~~~~~~  
  
Iori continued to snuggle deeper and deeper into the blankets the nursing staff had left him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~(Takeru's unconscious {told you that would be short})~~~~~~~~~  
  
Takeru was in the field once more. This time he had seen Iori rush off towards the other side, and he was not going to let the younger boy get away with tricking him a second time. He ran forward, chasing the smaller form in front of him. Takeru couldn't help but laugh as their impromptu game of tag escalated. He was enjoying himself immensely... right up to the moment he saw Iori slip and scream out.  
  
Takeru's heart froze as he heard the scream. It seemed to penetrate his very soul. "Takeru-kun! Help me please," Iori's voice was pained but clear as it drifted towards Takeru. Without thinking of what might be wrong with his *friend* he ran forwards charging through the underbrush that seemed to grow out of nowhere. He suddenly found himself before a small drop in the ground.. and lying before him was Iori. The small child had managed to take a rather cruel dive off of the small cliff and was now curled in a tight ball sobbing while clutching his right leg. Even from Takeru's vantage point he could see the small piece of white material sticking out of the younger child's leg. Kami above that can't be... bone, Takeru's thoughts were broken however as Iori gave another sky shattering scream of pain.  
  
Takeru slid down the hill as quickly as he could manage while avoiding the rougher spots. He was at Iori's side in a few moments, softly cradling the small boy. "Gomen Iori I should have watched for where you were going! I should have paid more attention to you." As Takeru spoke he began to bury his head into the other boys chest, forcing Iori into a prone position. "It's okay Takeru-kun. It doesn't hurt too badly now. I was just scared cause I didn't think I could make it out of here without you." Iori began to stroke Takeru's hair trying to get the older boy to calm himself down.  
  
~~~~~~~~~(Reality once again)~~~~~~~~~  
  
Takeru curled into a small ball on his bed as tears began to well up in his eyes. No one was there to witness either child's reaction however, save their Digimon.  
  
---------(Four hours later)---------  
  
Takeru awoke feeling horrible. He had been crying throughout his nap and had thus awoken feeling both drained and significantly sicker. He curled himself into his bed trying to straighten his now twisted back into place. He groaned in pain quietly, trying not to wake up Iori in the process.  
  
His actions where in vain however as Iori slowly stirred, then looked over at Takeru. What's wrong with Takeru-kun? He looks horrible. Almost like he had been crying! But why would Takeru-kun be crying, Iori began to move slowly. He was still in pain from the recent procedures he had been forced to go through. Thus he still couldn't move too fast yet he could get up and walk around. He did so now as he made his way towards Takeru's bed.  
  
Takeru looked up suddenly as he felt a shadow pass over his face suddenly. The one thing he didn't want to see after his *nightmare* suddenly flooded into his view. "I,Iori- chan? What's wrong?" "I noticed your eyes where red Takeru-kun are you okay? You seem to be avoiding me lately and I'm worried that you might have decided you didn't want to be my friend after all," Iori whispered the last sentence while he lowered his head, preparing for the rejection he knew was bound to come. However Takeru never let Iori get away from him. Instead he pulled gently on Iori's arm.  
  
Unfortunately for both boys Takeru did not know how strong he was, or how thin Iori had become during his stay at the hospital. Iori's small body landed with a light thud against Takeru's sending shocks of pain through them both. Takeru groaned softly, however he was also reveling in the fact that he had Iori lying against him. Working through the pain he managed to surround Iori in his arms and drew him closer in a tight embrace. He watched quietly, waiting for Iori to begin struggling against his embrace.  
  
Iori felt himself drawn into the embrace that only moments ago raced through his mind. Instead of going on instinct and fighting Takeru's soft grip he merely snuggled closer to his friend. He sighed deeply as Takeru softly massaged his familiar bowl cut attempting to straighten the unruly mess. Iori giggled softly as this happened. He smiled up at his friend only to be caught with the largest surprise of the day.  
  
Takaishi, Takeru suddenly leaned in and kissed Hida, Iori.  
  
A/N: well there you go. Complete fluff ( other then the dream. ) You can blame the mood of this chapter on the fact that my Nihongo Sensei gave me a Kawaii CD the other day as a gift and it contained a sugary sweet track about kittens that is currently attempting to drive me completely insane! Anyways, I like this series and no this isn't the last chapter of this portion of the series ( you will see why next chapter ^_^) I am not done torturing either character quite yet. Well, please read on, and don't forget about my website with its Kou-chan MP3's. Because really... Have you hugged your Tech today?  
  
A/N added 10/01: Well I made the gender mistake again. This time with Miyako instead of Yamato (oh well their names are similar enough.) Thanks to Recnamorcen for catching this one.  
  
Yoshiki. 


	14. Confusion, Weakness, and Dreams

A/N: This is the last chapter in Harsh Memories. Its only taken me about 2 months to write this 1/3rd of the overall story. Look for the next story in the series (as discussed on my bio page) in about a week. They will probably be about as long as this (Consequences might not be as long but Regrets will probably be twice as long as it will finish the story.) Anyways I would like to thank Energy for Beta reading my story so far and I hope he will do the other two stories as well. Anyone who wants to send any particular comments on whether or not you enjoyed this... or what could be improved upon in future fics, please email me.  
  
Second A/N: I was half fired today. My college took half of my workload from me because our school president cut the Distance Education Boards budget. This means I will have more time for fics but my financial status has dramatically fallen. Oh well.  
  
  
  
Hida Iori stiffened as he felt one of his best friends attempting to kiss him rather passionately. He began to struggle... attempting to flee from Takeru's arms. What the heck does Takeru think he's doing? Why is he kissing me? This isn't right! I only wanted to make sure he was all right, Iori finally managed to break free of Takeru's grasp as T.K. broke their kiss. What Takeru saw reflected in Iori's eyes froze him to the core however. Instead of the love and respect he expected he found only pain and confusion. Iori immediately moved to leave Takeru's side.  
  
T.K. attempted to react and began to sit up. However Iori was faster since Takeru was still weakened from his nightmare. Iori scurried across the room to his bed. He stopped at the side of it and turned to stare at his friend. " What in Kami's name did you think you were doing Takeru?" Iori's voice came out in a choked whisper. Takeru stared down at his hands for a few moments before turning tear-covered eyes towards his best friend. "Gomen Iori. I have been thinking about you more and more lately... and I have come to realize that I like you as more than just a friend. I know you probably don't feel the same way as I do but... When you fell on top of me... I had just had a horrible nightmare where you had been really hurt and I couldn't do anything. When I found you lying there in my arms I just didn't want to think that I could lose you! I wanted you to know exactly how I felt in case either of us died because of this. I know we're both fine now but the dream unsettled me. Again... Gomen about kissing you. It was just a reaction to how close you where, coupled with the effect that dream had on me," Takeru finished the speech he had been rehearsing in his head in a thin whisper. He felt completely drained as he waited for Iori's response to his revelation.  
  
"Takeru-san... I don't know what to say. I'm only nine. I don't really know what I want in life yet. I can't say whether or not I'm attracted to you... since I don't know myself. This is all so confusing to me. Besides I didn't even know you were like that." "Does that make a difference in how you see me Iori? Remember I am the same person whose Digimon DNA-Digivolved with yours." "I know and in most ways it doesn't really matter to me. But in one way it does. I don't know whether or not I like you in that way so I don't know how I should react to what you've told me. I appreciate the fact that you care about me but I don't know if I am ready for any form of relationship." Iori stared down at the floor as he said this.  
  
A million things flashed through Iori's mind as he thought about what had happened during His and Takeru's short relationship. They had fought together, and when the fighting ended they had managed to hold on to the tenuous friendship that their battle created. Takeru and Miyako where the only Digidestined other then his two crest predecessors that Iori still kept in contact with. Iori did not want to lose Takeru's friendship... but he also didn't know how he felt about the older boy.  
  
Finally Iori felt he couldn't remain silent any longer. "Takeru-chan? I am sorry to ask this from you but can you give me some time to think things over? This doesn't mean that I either like you in that way or that I don't. I just need some time to work through my own feelings. Is this okay?" All Takeru could manage was a short nod of his head while he fought desperately to hold back the tears that had been forming since Iori had run from his embrace. He slowly lowered himself back onto his bed and fell asleep.  
  
Over the next few weeks both boys attempted to recover from their various injuries. They were lucky that they had not had any spinal damage from the accidents. Iori slowly regained his strength, and began to eat and drink normally once again. Takeru however seemed to turn most of his food away, or when Patamon had been visiting he had left the largest portion of his meal for the small Digimon. Iori watched Takeru's condition worsen as the older boy continued to refuse food and began to sleep more and more. Iori knew he had been too harsh on his older friend when he had asked for time to think over his feelings, but he still couldn't think of any way to explain how he felt. It was like he was teetering over a cliff. On one side he had been feeling very close to Takeru and he knew that he could very well be in love. On the other he also knew that he couldn't afford to lose Takeru's friendship. He valued the relationship that he had come to have with Takeru a great deal. It was hard for him to make friends with the other children his age since they tended to treat him as if he would be too fragile to do very much. After his O-Tou-san died he had been treated as if he couldn't be around those who still had both their parents.  
  
As Takeru continued to degrade, Iori began to obsess over his condition. Iori began to force Takeru to eat a larger amount of food each day till Takeru could manage to stomach a full meal again. Iori also began to ensure that Takeru managed to get some form of exercise each day. As Takeru slowly regained his strength Iori found himself going to extreme lengths to spend time with the older boy. He seemed to find some reason to spend most of his time either pampering the boy or doing a mutually enjoyable activity. Eventually one day, he caught himself staring longingly at his older friend.  
  
---------(Three weeks afterwards)---------  
  
It was their last night at the hospital. They both dreaded returning home. Takeru disliked the idea of leaving Iori who he had become more and more accustomed to. He enjoyed the fact that even though Iori didn't seem to like him in the same way, he still ensured that Takeru was all right. Iori was dreading returning home because he didn't want to leave Takeru before he told him of his decision. Iori was still trying to find the perfect moment to tell his friend that he had discovered that he felt the same feelings that Takeru felt for him.  
  
After packing up the few belongings that they had, they were finally left with only one option. They both returned to their beds. Iori watched carefully as Takeru snuggled down against his blankets. Iori began counting down in his head. After three weeks of caring for the other boy he had managed to time the amount of time Takeru took to fall into a deep sleep. 175, 176, 177, 178! There, he should be sound asleep now, Iori moved silently, using all of the lessons his O-Jii-san had taught him. He carefully moved towards his friend's sleeping form. As he reached his *friend's* side he slowly uncovered the corner of Takeru's bed. Slipping in quietly Iori proceeded to hug his older friend gently towards his body. Takeru stirred once while he was led to Iori's waiting chest. He rubbed his head gently against the mattress as Iori froze. Once Takeru had settled again, Iori continued his slow process of moving the taller child. Finally Iori was cradling Takeru gently. Iori had been planning his next move for the last two weeks now. He very slowly moved his head upwards till he was looking into Takeru's lidded eyes. He slowly leaned forward till he captured his best friend's lips with his own.  
  
Takeru was only half aware of the pressure against his mouth. He moaned in a half dream (once again the dream about the field) as he pressed himself further against his love. Suddenly he noticed the fact that he didn't have to bend his back like in the dream. His eyes shoot open as he realized the real Iori had been kissing him. His mind whirled softly as he leaned gently against his best friend's prone body. In moments he was deeply into the kiss and had begun to moan softly. Slowly he broke their kiss looking into Iori's clouded eyes. Iori was smiling softly as he blushed.  
  
"Gomen Takeru. I would have told you sooner but I wanted the time to be as perfect as I could manage it. I just wanted to tell you that I think I also have feelings for you. "  
  
Takeru could only stare in disbelief as Iori said that. He smiled suddenly and wrapped the younger boy into a tight embrace. "Aishiteru Iori-kun!" Iori chuckled softly as Takeru said something that he realized he had been wanting for a long time. He leaned his head down into Takeru's neck as he whispered gently. "Aishiteru Takeru-kun. Aishiteru. I hope it was as good as the dream." Takeru smiled gently, and then slowly took Iori's chin into his hand. He pressed their lips together for the third time and slowly nibbled at Iori's lower lip. He smiled when they broke and after leaning into Iori's arms he whispered, "Now its better then my dream... since this is real. " Iori laughed gently at his older friend as he relaxed his body. He began to slowly drift off while Takeru hugged him gently.  
  
A/N: Well? What did you guys think of this part's ending? Don't worry their will be more of this. The next part deals with what happens when Iori returns home and finds something he never wanted to face. Takeru is forced to try to calm and comfort his new love before Iori simply losses control.  
  
Second A/N: I am massively depressed now about my job so I probably wont be starting Harsh Consequences today.  
  
Ja Matta  
  
Yaegashi Yoshiki  
  
Confusion, weakness, and dreams  
  
P.S. Aishiteru = "I love you"  
  
(just for those that did not know already.) 


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